Kenyan athlete Eliud Kipchoge receives global recognition

The Association of International Marathons and Distance Races (AIMS) has named Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge and Ethiopia’s Mare Dibaba as the male and female winners of the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award for 2015.

More than 390 member races of AIMS pooled from more than 108 countries and territories, voted for Kipchoge and Dibaba.

The winners’ achievements were given global recognition on Friday November 6 at the AIMS Best Marathon Runner (BMR) Award Gala in Athens, Greece.

The period under consideration for the 2015 AIMS Best Marathon Runner Awards was from early October 2014 to end September 2015.

Kipchoge has won three of the biggest marathon events in the past 12 months.  In October 2014 he won the Chicago Marathon in 2:04:11.

Six months later, the 31-year-old won the London Marathon in a world-leading time of 2:04:42 before beating his personal best when he won the Berlin Marathon in September, 2015 in 2:04:00.

“It is very special for me to have won the AIMS Best Marathon Runner Award,” said Kipchoge. “I am very proud of my achievements this year and this award reflects that.”

Ethiopia’s Dibaba has enjoyed a medal-laden year.

In October 2014 she finished second at the Chicago Marathon in 2:25:37. She went one better by winning the Xiamen Marathon in January 2015 in a time of 2:19:52 before finishing a close second at the Boston Marathon.

In August, 2015 the 26-year-old won the world title in Beijing in 2:27:35.

“It is incredibly special for me to receive this prestigious award,” said Dibaba. “It makes it extra special that I have received it in the spiritual home of the marathon in Greece. I am well aware of the 2500-year history of the marathon and I am delighted to feel a small part of it.”

The other award winners at the gala were:

AIMS Green Award – Chevron Houston Marathon in recognition of their year-round efforts towards ‘Going Green’

AIMS Social Award – Maraton Internacional Lala for their work raising money for children from low-income areas who need dental surgery

AIMS Lifetime Achievement Award – Frank Shorter, the 1972 Olympic champion, in recognition of his significant role in the development of the marathon movement, particularly in the USA.

Additional reporting: The International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)